[The weather was nice. They could walk back, get the blood flowing and spend their time just people watching until they rounded the corner to the apartments. Kanji wagered they could use some normalcy, an average day to get into the groove of things... maybe they did need to call their friends, though, see how they fared.
He stood.]
I've got a tip for makin' ginger syrup for sodas n' teas n' stuff. Let's try makin' some when we get home.
[Somewhere familiar with something familiar. Kanji always liked to do kitchen experiments.]
[Yes... Walking back would probably be just another thing she needed. Holding his hand, leaning a little against his arm, she opened her eyes a little more to the sights around them, taking slow breaths.]
... I would like that, thank you.
[... Maybe participating in his experimenting would help ease her mind too.]
[He smiled. They could handle this. They had to. With such a support network like this, it left Kanji feeling more confident, enough that he'd do his best to ensure everyone was healthy and feeling good! Because it wasn't just one he had to worry about, but two now...!]
---
[...Or six. Kanji felt the sweat roll down his neck as they walked down the street not 24 hours later; Naoto had grown again, and the time for their last check-up had come and gone. Dr. Natalus was thrilled as always and had reported that some of the moonblessed had already given birth while others were progressing as Naoto was. Stranger still, some of the 'blessed that had fallen pregnant were men... Kanji couldn't help putting a hand to his stomach on that one. He couldn't deny that he felt like he should have beared the burden if it was too much for her, but...
He set that thought aside. Instead he kept a kind pace, knowing he had long strides. Poor Bunny was waddling a little.]
Eggs...
[He shook his head in wonder.]
So the dragons really did influence us.
[The King had no idea this would happen, neither. He gave a statement this morning on the news, and even had the dragons begin to move their nesting spots and focus their songs and telepathy in the sky, anything to lessen any chance of further influence.
But with the Skyway officially opening tomorrow, it seemed the dragons would take their eggs and head back as well. Kanji scheduled an appointment for himself for a week from now, once the dragons were long gone and Naoto was safe and healthy with the... e-eggs. Babies. So many, oh my god...
He needed to see if he was. Well. Viable, or if it was just while the dragons were deep into mating season.]
What if they're dragons, like last time? I-I was, uh... a dragon, when we slept together, after all.
[At least seeing the eggs and understanding there were multiple provided more explanation to her size than just only growing one baby abnormally fast. Other Moonblessed had delivered already, but she was among those still waiting the hours away - even some men were pregnant which had her sending a curious eye Kanji's way when he placed a hand on his stomach. Interesting...]
[Recalling the last time they had dragon eggs, Naoto grimaced. They siphoned up Chroma almost immediately from one person - and that person had been her. She was a little concerned seeing she seemed to have five.]
... We'll need to ask for help in hatching them. Between the two of us, it might be too much Chroma.
[As not a dragon herself, she didn't just produce extra Chroma the same way Kanji could, and even that would be too much on him.]
Yeah, maybe. I heard some folks were havin' nesting circles... a-and orgies...
[He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. Look, doin' it behind that tree was a heat of the moment kind of thing he was still working out if he was into, he wasn't about to engage in any group-freaking.]
But it seems like I'm able to switch in n' outta my form despite it not bein' Sanguis. I think a good stopgap might be that once the eggs are born, I could brood 'em as best as I can. I-it's the least a dad can do, yeah?
But if it gets intense I'm sure the others wouldn't mind hangin' out.
[But that last part caused a tinge of frustration in that wolfish mind corner. Others? Near THEIR eggs? He'd rip 'em limb from limb first!]
[Naoto's face pulled at the thought of orgies occurring and shook her head. No thank you to that.]
Hm... It would probably be the most beneficial to them.
[Meanwhile, she felt that wolf mentally rear itself in his mind and shook her head. She didn't like the idea anymore than him really - nothing against their friends obviously - but the mark at her ear glowed intensely.]
I suppose we should find out first if they're in a similar position.
You're right. We should probably get ready for Rise to... Rise about us, too.
[Though if she was bearing eggs too, he wanted to have a good long talk with whoever her Astella was. Were they treating her right? Are they sticking around, or did he have to kick someone's ass?]
Knowin' Souji, Ren n' Minato, no doubt they're a triple-threat of havin' a plan together for everybody.
[She does care about her friends, but she doesn't want to put up with them if they're just going to tease them about having eggs. But if any of them were having eggs too... who were their Astella? Did they need to have a talk?]
[Naoto's expression flattened and she looked at Kanji.]
[She rolled her eyes and shook her head at his antics. calming the stare down.]
... I doubt there's any amount you could do in order to prepare me for Teddie were he here. Amamiya-san would stop after a while, but there's no guarantees when Teddie would come back to it.
H-how do ya put it... the lines he pulls feel like they're straight outta bad TV shows, and he barely knows what many of 'em mean. He's too much of a kid.
It is. However, do you think he pulls those terms from watching TV or is it due to his connection to the other world he knows them so readily?
[Once again, thinking about Teddie and his abnormal nature becomes a mystery. Shaking her head, she placed a hand on her stomach. The eggs had shifted.]
It was his home, right? Not to mention that the place was made of human thought, and a whole lotta media can affect how people think and what's okay to say and all. God knows I heard a number of my classmates during third year usin' pick-up lines they heard on TV. It gave me flash-
[She nodded. She, of course, wasn't looking to alarm him.]
Yes, they did. However, it's not down yet. We still have time.
[This was still strange. She'd thought about it in a strange, Iris-induced fantasy before, but now... this wasn't exactly something she was going to talk about adamantly in the future.]
[His heart was still racing from a moment's adrenaline. They still had time, but that could change in hours, if not tomorrow. He hoped this whole thing wouldn't hurt her, but there were always stories...
Kanji stopped, shoes touching the grass. This wasn't the way home... this was heading into the woods where the nest was constructed.]
Oh... uh, whoops. I guess I didn't really ask where we were headed.
[Rubbing her stomach, she did have to wonder again how much longer she had. Would it happen tonight? Tomorrow morning? Afternoon? All she knew - all she felt - was that it wouldn't be much longer.]
[She stopped after Kanji with a questioning look, but she chuckled.]
I don't know either. Well, we're already going this way... I wouldn't mind sitting in the nest for a while.
[Well, since they were almost there, any not press on? Maybe she needed off her feet and he'd tucked away some odds and ends to pass the time and maybe be productive as well; he'd left a manner of books, stitching projects, drinks and snacks, not to mention that he'd collected when he had only half his mind to decorate what was a center of comfort and brooding for his beloved Ostella.
He offered a hand to help her up and over the edge of the nest before he kicked off his shoes and joined right in. He must've been a little tense; it was odd to feel the spine relax like that once he had a seat. He sighed and reached for his craft supplies, tucked away in a clasped toolbox.]
Looks like I gotta make four more baby blankets. ...Wanna double-team it?
[She was appreciative that he didn't insist on heading back to the apartment. They would return in due time - she wanted to try having the eggs there if anywhere - but the nest still provided a feeling of... security to her. Their scents were there together; it was also where they conceived the eggs and would bring them once they hatched. They should get to know the nest too and its safety.]
[Accepting his help into the nest, she sighed and settled down. Sitting was difficult, both getting down and getting back up. She had to move slowly and stabilize herself with a hand to maintain some balance, but once she was seated, exhaustion fled her body and she could be at ease.]
[He nodded and brought everything over; the cloth as well as his sewing box everything he needed for this particular project. Well... most projects, really. But as he got everything ready- needles threaded and placed in the pincushion- he spread out the fleece he had collected.]
I picked this fabric for the first blanket. You can pick whichever of these looks good and I'll cut to the size we need.
Then it's just a back stitch for strength on all four ends, so no little kicky feet n' hands manage to tear 'em apart and it holds up to gettin' put into mouths. It's real easy.
[For the stitch itself, Kanji was more than happy to demonstrate, slowly putting the finishing touches on the first blanket and revealing whatever angles she needed. Even with large, coarse hands, he seemed to handle the fleece so delicately, letting the thread glide through and seal together more and more of it.
He passed her selected fleece and a ready needle. She's got this! Hell, this likely explained how once Kanji knew a formula for the trickier math topics back in high school, he seemed to get into a flow and work it through. Stitching was a formula, and the rest was developing muscle memory.]
[Naoto watched him bring his supplies over, eyeing curiously everything. She'd never really gotten into crafts like this herself, but no time like the present. Also, it seemed like an activity she could do that would give her feet a break.]
Hmm... I'll got with this one...
[Or would the baby not like green?]
[Back stitch... she doesn't get it, but no kicky feet and hands pulling them apart is good. Also holding up against mouths... for some reason, she couldn't see the babies not attempting to chew on everything. She watched him slowly demonstrate the stitch from each useful angle before attempting it herself.]
[He made it look so easy, but to be fair, he'd been doing this for years. It's tricky to actually attempt it, her brows furrowing, but her cheeks faintly glowing. Oh no, it looked a mess... though, she wasn't sure about another demonstration. She'd been focusing on his hands a bit too intently.]
[Green is a fresh and lively color, perfect for a kiddo! He slowed his own pace, fearing that maybe she'd be too hard on herself if he was at his usual flow. But he was a visual learner, and she seemed to be, too. Hell, she was of both brains- he was just right-brained. Did you call that ambidextrous brain?
Naoto's stitch was... messy, yes, but his was too when he first started.]
Yep. Flow to the corner, give it a turn, and flow to the next corner.
[He laughed softly.]
You're doin' fine. The way I always see it, each stitch takes a moment, right? But in each moment, you're focused on what it'll look like in the end, so each one you give a little time and a little love. Even if you're usin' a machine, gently nudgin' the fabric over the feed dogs, you're puttin' the same thing into every move you make in creating somethin' for somebody else.
[She had to take her time - she was learning something new and she couldn't expect instant perfection. If it held, it would be enough for now and practice would make it cleaner.]
Right... I think. ['Feed dogs'?]
There is a difference between something handmade and something prepared by machine. At least, I find there usually is.
Yeah! You got it. With stuff like blankets, the important thing is that it holds. We're stitchin' 'em inside out with intent to flip, so the stitch stays safe inside. Don't worry about it lookin' pretty.
[Yep. Feed dogs. He's got no idea why they're called that, neither.]
I agree. I think it's why people shop at my family's place, especially after I started puttin' stuff out, over Junes. They've got cheap fabrics and a bigger selection, sure, but you get whatcha pay for.
[He neatly weaved a knot and bit off the extra end, and proceeded to new thread.]
We did lose some customers. But we're stickin' to our guns. Tch- some of 'em whined that their special orders demanded a little extra cost for import... I mean, one wanted legit linen which comes from Belgium, what'd they expect? Oh well...
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He stood.]
I've got a tip for makin' ginger syrup for sodas n' teas n' stuff. Let's try makin' some when we get home.
[Somewhere familiar with something familiar. Kanji always liked to do kitchen experiments.]
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... I would like that, thank you.
[... Maybe participating in his experimenting would help ease her mind too.]
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---
[...Or six. Kanji felt the sweat roll down his neck as they walked down the street not 24 hours later; Naoto had grown again, and the time for their last check-up had come and gone. Dr. Natalus was thrilled as always and had reported that some of the moonblessed had already given birth while others were progressing as Naoto was. Stranger still, some of the 'blessed that had fallen pregnant were men... Kanji couldn't help putting a hand to his stomach on that one. He couldn't deny that he felt like he should have beared the burden if it was too much for her, but...
He set that thought aside. Instead he kept a kind pace, knowing he had long strides. Poor Bunny was waddling a little.]
Eggs...
[He shook his head in wonder.]
So the dragons really did influence us.
[The King had no idea this would happen, neither. He gave a statement this morning on the news, and even had the dragons begin to move their nesting spots and focus their songs and telepathy in the sky, anything to lessen any chance of further influence.
But with the Skyway officially opening tomorrow, it seemed the dragons would take their eggs and head back as well. Kanji scheduled an appointment for himself for a week from now, once the dragons were long gone and Naoto was safe and healthy with the... e-eggs. Babies. So many, oh my god...
He needed to see if he was. Well. Viable, or if it was just while the dragons were deep into mating season.]
What if they're dragons, like last time? I-I was, uh... a dragon, when we slept together, after all.
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[Recalling the last time they had dragon eggs, Naoto grimaced. They siphoned up Chroma almost immediately from one person - and that person had been her. She was a little concerned seeing she seemed to have five.]
... We'll need to ask for help in hatching them. Between the two of us, it might be too much Chroma.
[As not a dragon herself, she didn't just produce extra Chroma the same way Kanji could, and even that would be too much on him.]
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[He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. Look, doin' it behind that tree was a heat of the moment kind of thing he was still working out if he was into, he wasn't about to engage in any group-freaking.]
But it seems like I'm able to switch in n' outta my form despite it not bein' Sanguis. I think a good stopgap might be that once the eggs are born, I could brood 'em as best as I can. I-it's the least a dad can do, yeah?
But if it gets intense I'm sure the others wouldn't mind hangin' out.
[But that last part caused a tinge of frustration in that wolfish mind corner. Others? Near THEIR eggs? He'd rip 'em limb from limb first!]
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Hm... It would probably be the most beneficial to them.
[Meanwhile, she felt that wolf mentally rear itself in his mind and shook her head. She didn't like the idea anymore than him really - nothing against their friends obviously - but the mark at her ear glowed intensely.]
I suppose we should find out first if they're in a similar position.
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[Though if she was bearing eggs too, he wanted to have a good long talk with whoever her Astella was. Were they treating her right? Are they sticking around, or did he have to kick someone's ass?]
Knowin' Souji, Ren n' Minato, no doubt they're a triple-threat of havin' a plan together for everybody.
...
In-egg-stigation Team...?
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[She does care about her friends, but she doesn't want to put up with them if they're just going to tease them about having eggs. But if any of them were having eggs too... who were their Astella? Did they need to have a talk?]
[Naoto's expression flattened and she looked at Kanji.]
... "In-egg-stigation" Team... really.
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[He shielded himself with an arm, as if deflecting some sort of harmful ray.]
Look, I'm fillin' a quota Teddie or Ren would fill, I'm just doin' my duty! Besides, now you're prepared for their bullshit.
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... I doubt there's any amount you could do in order to prepare me for Teddie were he here. Amamiya-san would stop after a while, but there's no guarantees when Teddie would come back to it.
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[He made a face.]
H-how do ya put it... the lines he pulls feel like they're straight outta bad TV shows, and he barely knows what many of 'em mean. He's too much of a kid.
Emotional maturity's the term, yeah?
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[Once again, thinking about Teddie and his abnormal nature becomes a mystery. Shaking her head, she placed a hand on her stomach. The eggs had shifted.]
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[Caught by surprise, he blinked.]
What's up? Did they move again?
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Yes, they did. However, it's not down yet. We still have time.
[This was still strange. She'd thought about it in a strange, Iris-induced fantasy before, but now... this wasn't exactly something she was going to talk about adamantly in the future.]
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[His heart was still racing from a moment's adrenaline. They still had time, but that could change in hours, if not tomorrow. He hoped this whole thing wouldn't hurt her, but there were always stories...
Kanji stopped, shoes touching the grass. This wasn't the way home... this was heading into the woods where the nest was constructed.]
Oh... uh, whoops. I guess I didn't really ask where we were headed.
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[She stopped after Kanji with a questioning look, but she chuckled.]
I don't know either. Well, we're already going this way... I wouldn't mind sitting in the nest for a while.
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[Well, since they were almost there, any not press on? Maybe she needed off her feet and he'd tucked away some odds and ends to pass the time and maybe be productive as well; he'd left a manner of books, stitching projects, drinks and snacks, not to mention that he'd collected when he had only half his mind to decorate what was a center of comfort and brooding for his beloved Ostella.
He offered a hand to help her up and over the edge of the nest before he kicked off his shoes and joined right in. He must've been a little tense; it was odd to feel the spine relax like that once he had a seat. He sighed and reached for his craft supplies, tucked away in a clasped toolbox.]
Looks like I gotta make four more baby blankets. ...Wanna double-team it?
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[Accepting his help into the nest, she sighed and settled down. Sitting was difficult, both getting down and getting back up. She had to move slowly and stabilize herself with a hand to maintain some balance, but once she was seated, exhaustion fled her body and she could be at ease.]
Hm? ... Sure, but I'll need your help.
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I picked this fabric for the first blanket. You can pick whichever of these looks good and I'll cut to the size we need.
Then it's just a back stitch for strength on all four ends, so no little kicky feet n' hands manage to tear 'em apart and it holds up to gettin' put into mouths. It's real easy.
[For the stitch itself, Kanji was more than happy to demonstrate, slowly putting the finishing touches on the first blanket and revealing whatever angles she needed. Even with large, coarse hands, he seemed to handle the fleece so delicately, letting the thread glide through and seal together more and more of it.
He passed her selected fleece and a ready needle. She's got this! Hell, this likely explained how once Kanji knew a formula for the trickier math topics back in high school, he seemed to get into a flow and work it through. Stitching was a formula, and the rest was developing muscle memory.]
Here we go... don't rush. Find your flow.
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Hmm... I'll got with this one...
[Or would the baby not like green?]
[Back stitch... she doesn't get it, but no kicky feet and hands pulling them apart is good. Also holding up against mouths... for some reason, she couldn't see the babies not attempting to chew on everything. She watched him slowly demonstrate the stitch from each useful angle before attempting it herself.]
[He made it look so easy, but to be fair, he'd been doing this for years. It's tricky to actually attempt it, her brows furrowing, but her cheeks faintly glowing. Oh no, it looked a mess... though, she wasn't sure about another demonstration. She'd been focusing on his hands a bit too intently.]
Hmm... find my flow.
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Naoto's stitch was... messy, yes, but his was too when he first started.]
Yep. Flow to the corner, give it a turn, and flow to the next corner.
[He laughed softly.]
You're doin' fine. The way I always see it, each stitch takes a moment, right? But in each moment, you're focused on what it'll look like in the end, so each one you give a little time and a little love. Even if you're usin' a machine, gently nudgin' the fabric over the feed dogs, you're puttin' the same thing into every move you make in creating somethin' for somebody else.
And folks feel that, I think. ...I hope, anyway.
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[She had to take her time - she was learning something new and she couldn't expect instant perfection. If it held, it would be enough for now and practice would make it cleaner.]
Right... I think. ['Feed dogs'?]
There is a difference between something handmade and something prepared by machine. At least, I find there usually is.
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[Yep. Feed dogs. He's got no idea why they're called that, neither.]
I agree. I think it's why people shop at my family's place, especially after I started puttin' stuff out, over Junes. They've got cheap fabrics and a bigger selection, sure, but you get whatcha pay for.
[He neatly weaved a knot and bit off the extra end, and proceeded to new thread.]
We did lose some customers. But we're stickin' to our guns. Tch- some of 'em whined that their special orders demanded a little extra cost for import... I mean, one wanted legit linen which comes from Belgium, what'd they expect? Oh well...
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[That made much more sense. And thank goodness, no one had to see this later.]
Yes. The price of convenience is often lacking in quality.
[But that was how the world could continue running at the same time. Naoto blinked; was he already done???]
Linen from Belgium? Honestly, what were they expecting? I'm sure you were giving them a fair price considering, too.
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A killer price! We'd worked with them for years and they always liked our prices, but I dunno, maybe Junes' shadow looming made 'em nervous.
[He rolled his shoulders and canted his head thoughtfully.]
Never the Amagis though. Our families go way back.
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